Two-month delay at Littlerock

Construction: Work could resume in late July, Public Works says

CHRISTIAN HILL; The Olympian | • Published June 04, 2009

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TUMWATER – The city’s public works director said Wednesday that construction on Littlerock Road won’t resume for about two more months, although some maintenance has started.

In late April, Alpha Development Corp. of Tacoma, the general contractor for the $4.3 million construction project, notified the city it could not complete the project and abandoned it midway through for reasons that still aren’t clear.

Alpha Development had been contracted to construct the first of a two-phase project to bring a busy stretch of Littlerock Road from near Trosper Road to 73rd Avenue Southwest to urban standards. The second phase will begin once the first is completed.

The new corridor would include sidewalks, bike lanes, street lighting and underground utility lines. Three roundabouts will be constructed – at Odegard Road, Israel Road/70th Avenue and Tumwater Boulevard – as will a center median between Kingswood Drive and the project’s southern end.

In April, Alpha Development also told the city it would finish the North Street road project, which was nearly complete. About two weeks later, however, the contractor said it would not be able to complete the North Street work either.

In both instances, the city terminated the contracts with Alpha, and brought in bonding companies, which are basically insurance companies for public works projects, to ensure their completion.

“We’re working very closely with the bonding company,” Public Works director Jay Eaton said of the Littlerock Road project. “We’re really moving it ahead as rapidly as we can. The bonding company is, I believe, being very proactive and responsible in what they’re doing. Unfortunately, there’s going to be a delay in getting the project completed.”

The bonding company requested pricing proposals from four contractors who originally bid on the Littlerock Road project. The deadline is mid-June.

The bonding company will complete its review and propose a contractor to the city. Eaton said he’d seek City Council approval of the new contract. The bonding company would pay the difference between what it would have cost Alpha to complete the job and what it would cost the new contractor to finish the project, meaning the city and taxpayers shouldn’t be on the hook for more money.

Eaton anticipated work would resume in late July or early August.

In the meantime, the bonding company has brought in a contractor, Johnson & Maddox Construction of Olympia, to maintain the corridor by repairing the roadway and providing traffic control, Eaton said.

A different bonding company is working through the stalled North Street project, which needs a final layer of asphalt and some clean-up work, he said.

Exactly why Alpha Development left the project is a mystery, although it appears to be a financial decision. Eaton said the city had received three claims from subcontractors and material suppliers working on the project who said they had not been paid by Alpha Development.

Lee Allison, president of the 25-year-old company, didn’t return a phone message but did send an e-mail expressing his appreciation for the patience, cooperation and goodwill demonstrated by residents near both projects.

“As in every unfortunate situation, retrospect and soul searching takes place by those who really care,” he wrote. “I am sure everyone involved in these two projects are carefully considering the decisions they made and will learn by any mistakes they may have made.”

He did not respond Wednesday to an e-mail inquiry seeking more detailed information about the decision to leave the projects.

Public works officials in the area said the decision would cripple Alpha Development’s ability to get public works jobs in the future because it will be very difficult to secure bonding.

Residents and employees along the corridor were looking forward to the completion of the project.

Mike Weymouth, 45, lives near the corridor and he drives it every day. He called the construction a “pain” but felt worse for the residents who live along the corridor and don’t have the option like he does of getting around the roadwork.

“They’ve missed some prime weather conditions to work on it,” he said, further noting, “It will be nice when it’s done.”

The road project and unexpected delay have been a hot topic for customers of A Hill of Beans, a drive-through coffee stand on the corner of Littlerock and 70th Avenue Southwest.

“I have a lot of people say they don’t come back because of the construction and the road being rough,” said Pam Niemi, 38, a stand employee.

The road condition isn’t the only problem. Driveway access on Littlerock Road was closed for more than a month becaues of construction, Niemi said, after the contractor said it would last a week. The driveway has reopened, but the employee said business is really slow.

Christian Hill: 360-754-5427

chill@theolympian.com